Kellogg English Opera: The Bohemian Girl

“Last evening Balfe’s well-worn but still popular English opera ‘The Bohemian Girl’ was presented by the Kellogg company at the Academy of Music. Miss Kellogg appeared as Arline, Miss Annie Beaumont [see above for roster]. There was a remarkably good attendance, and the opera was very creditably performed.

The Gypsy chorus in the first act was well sung, and indeed the concerted music generally was given satisfactorily—the chorus singers not standing idly by while singing, but acting the meanwhile in an intelligent manner, and thus making these parts less lifeless than usual—in fact, increasing the dramatic force of the whole representation. Whenever, however, the spoken word is employed as in this opera, it is extremely difficult to make the choruses, or, indeed, any of the vocal music, appear like anything but so much singing. Song is the accepted form of speech for the opera, and therefore the intrusion of the spoken word destroys the illusion; such prosaic utterances make the representation appear too much like that of one of real life and no longer one of ideal life. Of course it is understood that in the grand opera no singing, considered as such, can be ‘introduced,’ for it is the ordinary mode of expression.

Miss Kellogg sang the “Gypsy Girl’s Dream’ very charmingly and was encored. On repeating the last verse she prolonged a rapid shake, and gradually changed the quality of the tone of her voice until it became exceedingly liquid and dulcet. In the song ‘Come with the Gypsy Bride’ she also made some extremely soft shakes of most perfect intonation, which did not fail to please.

Mr. Carleton sang ‘The heart bowed down’ so well that it was encored. He received many marks of approval from the audience.

In the third act Mr. Maas distinguished himself by a very artistic delivery of the song ‘When other lips and other hearts,’ which was redemanded. He was also encored in other parts of the opera, and was rewarded with loud and prolonged applause. Miss Annie Beaumont made the most of an insignificant part, and Mr. Peakes by his clever acting did much to make one forget the poverty of the opera, the music of which, with the exception of the popular songs, appears to us now—at the close of the third quarter of the nineteenth century—rather weak and unsatisfying.

The orchestra played creditably throughout, the obligato solo for Oboe and the first violin being listened to with marked attention.”

“’The Bohemian Girl’ is the first English opera that Miss Kellogg’s English Opera Company has represented, and the performance last night was one of the most satisfactory of the season. The music is light and thin, but it almost always pleases. Its style is not a very high one, but it has the merits of fluent and sparkling melody, careful workmanship, and a perfect adaptability to stage effects. It must have been good work indeed, or with all the rough handling it has had since Balfe’s time it would long ago have worn out. In ballad operas such as this, English composers for the stage have always found their true school, and companies like the present always make their most favorable impression. Miss Kellogg took the part of Arline last night, and she was well supported by Miss Beaumont as the Gypsy Queen, and Messrs. Maas, Carleton, Peakes, and Morgan as Thaddeus, Count Arnheim, Devilshoof, and Florestein. The success of the performance was not due to the conspicuous merit of any one or two artists, but to the smoothness of the representation, the continual exhibition of amusing by-play, and the zest with which one and all seemed to enter into the spirit of the piece.”

“A large and brilliant audience enjoyed the performance of ‘The Bohemian Girl’ at the Academy of Music last evening. Well-worn as it is, Balfe’s music still attracts and charms, and it deserves to hold its place in the current répertoire if only because it is English opera in something more than name. The distribution of characters was the same as at last Saturday’s matinée. Mr. Hess’ company is very nicely balanced; it has done a great deal of work since it was first formed, and hence its representations are unusually smooth and effective. All the rôles in ‘The Bohemian Girl’ are in good hands. Better execution of Arline’s numbers than Miss Kellogg’s it would be exacting to wish, and a fresher and more agreeable voice than Mr. Carleton’s could not at present be found for Count Arnheim, while Mr. Maas, as Thaddeus, Mr. Peakes as Devilshoof, Mr. Morgan as Florestein, and Miss Beaumont as the Gypsy Queen, were each fully equal to the requirements of their respective characters. Much applause greeted the best-known pieces of the score, and there were several encores.”

“A very charming performance of Balfe’s most popular opera took place last night at the Academy of Music, in which Miss Kellogg’s Arline was the distinguishing feature. Miss Beaumont gained much applause by her clever representation of the Queen of the Gypsies, and Mr. Maas’ beautiful tenor voice was shown to advantage in the rôle of Thaddeus. Mr. Carleton proved to be a worthy successor of poor Campbell in his fine rendering of the rôle of Count Arnheim. Mr. Peakes was a capital representative of Devilshoof, and the chorus and orchestra, under Mr. Predigam’s direction, left nothing to be desired. Of all the operas produced this season by the Kellogg Opera Company it would be difficult to point to any performance equal in real merit and thoroughness to that of last night’s ‘Bohemian Girl.’”

“’The Bohemian Girl’ was admirably rendered on Friday night, with Miss Kellogg as Arline and Mr. Maas as Thaddeus, a large and enthusiastic audience witnessing the production of this popular favorite. The season so far has been most successful, and alike gratifying to the management and the public, who have given a substantial encouragement and approval to the efforts of our native talent in their artistic interpretations of the lyric masters.”